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Fayetteville, N.C. — One police officer was taken off patrol Wednesday following the death of a man who was hit twice with a Taser as he fought with officers at the scene of an attempted break-in, police said.

Otis C. Anderson, 36, of 2724 Providence St., died shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Officers were responding to a break-in alarm from a convenience store on Murchison Road when he became combative and the officers used a Taser on him, police said.

The name of the officer placed on administrative duty wasn't released. The State Bureau of Investigation has been called in to assist with an internal investigation by the Fayetteville Police Department into the incident.

Anderson initially flagged down an officer at 5525 Murchison Road and said he had overdosed on crack cocaine, police said. Officers called for medical help, but he ran off, police said.

About 10 minutes later, a dispatcher sent officers to a break-in alarm at 5555 Murchison Road, where officers again saw Anderson, police said. He became combative while they were talking to him about the break-in, and officers warned him they would use a Taser if he kept fighting, police said.

A Taser looks like a handgun but shoots darts connected by wires that deliver high voltage to stun someone.

One dart hit Anderson and one missed, but he continued struggling, police said. Officers then placed the Taser directly on him, using a different mode of the weapon, and he still did not stop, police said.

Officers were eventually able to get Anderson on the ground and handcuff him, and paramedics were trying to remove a Taser dart that had stuck in him when he stopped breathing, police said.

mvnullJan 10, 2008

"I don't recall ever seeing the term "excited delerium" in the DSM-IV or the ICD-10." That's because it isn't there.

Jan 10, 2008

Not that I want to beat this story to death...but, I heard last night the guy had just been released from prison on Sunday. Thought that was interesting. On the streets for 2 days. I don't recall ever seeing the term "excited delerium" in the DSM-IV or the ICD-10.

mvnullJan 10, 2008

"i watched the news recently and a durham officer was shocked with a taser. he didnt die."

Wow. That's amazing, because I took an airplane over Christmas and it didn't crash. By your logic, planes never crash.

Y'all are almost right. Almost surely, if he had not taken cocaine, he would be alive today. It is also likely that if he had not be Tasered, he would be alive today. If so, then which 'caused' it. Either way he would be alive today.

The term 'excited delerium' was invented by Taser International. However, the 'symptoms' have been observed previously. Death associated with tasers are usually accompanied by drugs, running (increased heart rate), outrage, etc. The evidence suggests an interaction with various environmental factors and the tasering.

In Nov 2007, the RCMP tasered a man who died. He was in customs and had been in customs for several hours. No drugs were involved, but he was certainly raged. Most likely, if either was missing, he'd be alive.

illegals--GO HOMEJan 10, 2008

Hey PHIL......want to bet the autopsy shows he died of cocaine overdose. That is most likely the cause of death as tasers cannot kill and if they did, we would have a majority of dead police officers. They get hit with the tasers sometimes multiple times and come through it just fine. The amperage on those tasers is extremely low.

imacoppicemanJan 10, 2008

MajorLeagueinfidel,Well spoken, finally someone who has their facts together before spouting off with half truths or outright conjecture.

stephaniedawn66Jan 9, 2008

looks like he might have been trying to get all police in one area by calling with the overdose story so he could break-in..lol..how high was he really?

catch22Jan 9, 2008

i watched the news recently and a durham officer was shocked with a taser. he didnt die.

MajorLeagueinfidelJan 9, 2008

Officers are TASERED during training, they do know what it feels like....get your facts straight....There are well over 100,000 training exposures to the TASER. Police/Military/Volunteers in Medical Studies not a single death...NONE ZERO....I have seen COPS endure 3 TASER applications back to back and laugh it off in the end. There have been numerous lawsuits filed against TASER by the families of deceased criminals...not a single verdict against TASER...NONE ZERO...What happens is when the case is reviewed with all the facts, all the research and EXPERT opinion is introduced the truth comes to the surface. The juries in these decisions come from among us.

skypilot-notJan 9, 2008

Nuts!!! They were doing their job. Don't want to get zapped? Don't be stupid

TLC2Jan 9, 2008

Grant - I know the store adjanct to Barton College - I used to work in the alumni office @ Barton College. I understand why the officer got in your face. That area in Wilson is where most of the drugs are sold. Cops do not like to go in there at night by themselves and only go in 2 x2 @ night. I'm from Wilson by the way.

Drugs did the killing not the tasers. If tasers did the killing then the officers at the time of finishing the required training = when they are required to be tasered would be dead! They are on the street. Did you think that maybe it's the DRUGS - overdosing - Oh MY!! Over and over drug abuse on their heart and brain - just can't take it any more and one day - it's too much and they die!